Charles errett



c. ERRETT.

. h F|XTURE;,F,QR DRINKING CUPS. v APPLICATION FILED JULY 26, 1919- '1,343,965. P ented June 22fl920.

w q- 14 E ATTORNEYS UNITED STATES) CHARLES ERRETT, or nnwyoax, is; Y., nsslenon TO IT'UBLIC 'snrwrcn CUP COMPANY, or BROOKLYN, N YORK, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

Original application filed March 31, 1916, Serial No.

FIXTURE non DnrNxInGcUPs.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented June 22, 1920.

87,970. Divided and this application filed July 26,

1919. Serial No. 313,440.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES Ennnr'r, a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and a resident of the boroughand county of Richmond, city and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fixtures for Drinking- Uups, of which the following is a specification. I s 2 My improvement relates to fixtures where by individual aseptic drinking cups may be supported in a position for ready accessibility for use, and has for its object the provision of a simple and eiiicient fixture whereby such cups in stacks or in packages are supported in a position for ready accessibility and which in combination with the stack or package assists in preventing the removal of more than one cup or the like at a time. My invention will befully described hereinafter and the features of novelty will be pointed out in the appended claims. The present ap plication is a divisionof another application filed by me in the United States Patent Oiiice on March 81, 1916 Serial No. 87,970, and issued on August 26, 1919, as Patent No. 1,314,134.

Reference is to be had to the accompany ing drawings which illustrate examples of, my improvement and in which Figure 1 is an elevation of one form of supporting fixture with the cups in an unsealed package in position thereon; Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is a detail view of a portion of the fixture without the package; Fig. 4 is an elevation of another form of fixture showing a package of cups thereon in section and Fig; 5 is a plan view of the latter fixture.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, my improved fixture comprises a substantially up right rod or the like 17 which at its one end carries a head 18, the latter being either rigidly or detachably connected with said rod 17 as may be desired. A plurality of arms 19 extend radially and outwardly from said head 18 and are bent downwardly as at 20 to form depending members 21. whichin turn have their lowerend portions curved upwardly to form recesses 22 and preferably have their upturned ends provided with spherical or other enlargements 23. One of said members 21 is preferably continued up-.

wardly beyond the head '18 to form the IGf ing member17", the parts being preferably so proportioned as to bring the rod 17 into axial alinement with the clamping member 17? as shown in Fig. 2. The fixture so far described is specially. adapted for use in supporting the packages of drinking cups included in the application of which the present case is a division, although it is not limited to such use and may be used with equal efficiency for supporting stacks of cups. The package referred to comprises a predetermined number of cups 10 constructed in any well known way of customary material andstackedor nested together, said cups as is usually the case, tapering towardtheir bottoms and having outwardly flaring annular rimsll at their open ends. In the preferred arrangement the number of cups stacked together is such that the combined axial length of the series-stack or nest of cups, is less than twicethelength of a single cup. These stacks of cups 10 are wrapped in a covering 12 of paraflined or wax paper or other more or less easily torn or ruptured material which may be water and weather proof and in any case comprises a tubular protecting wrapper drawn tightly about the stack of cups. The opposite longitudinal edges of said covering 12may be pasted or otherwise secured together toform a tubular wrapper in which the stack of cups is contained. In addition to the above, the packincludes a band lei of paper or other material which is heavier or more durable than the wrapper orcovering 12 and which extends circumferentially aboutthe package at an intermediate point and is preferably pasted or otherwise securedthereto throughout its length In practice I prefer to'use for thlsband 14 a product commonly known as shown in 4, the one end of said covering or wrapping 12 may simply be tucked or folded into the open end of the one terminal cup,.the other end of said covering being arranged in any desired manner when the package is in its unopened condition. lnusing the above mentioned form 0'! my improved fixture for supporting the package referred to, the latter is combined with said fixture by placing that end of the package at whi h the covering 12 is tucked into the open end of the one terminal cup, over the arms 20 and members 21. The package is then moved lengthwise of said members until the end of said package is finally seated in the recesses 22 in which condition the enlargements 23 are in frictional engagement with the outer surface of the package near its lower end while the portion 241: of the ext .nded. member 21 engages aid package at a point substantially in registry with the band 1 1. In this condition.

the package is firmly supported on the fixture with the cups in an inverted condition, it being understood that the portion 2-1 of the extended member 21 maintains said package against any substantial displacement in a direction transverse to its axis or in other words, adds rigidity thereto. This extension 21-. being resilient may be adj usted to frictionally and resiliently engage the stack 01 cups and thus aids in holding any cups which may tend to follow the terminal cup during withdrawal thereof against removal from the package. In this manner the unity of the package'or stac is preserved. lhe small upturned ends of the other members 21 and theirenlargements maintain. the stack of en s as a whole against a. axial movement while the terminal cup is being withdrawn for use. The bends 20 ot the fixture by engaging the in: nor surface the lowermost cup 11) also support the package from the interior as will be readily apparent. It will be understood that, either before or after being com bined with the fixture, the package is broken by tearing the covering 12 away at the closed end of the one terminal cup, and along the one edge of the band 1.4:. In this manner all that portion of the covering 12 whichis initially located between the said one edge of said band 14- and the closed end of the terminal cup at one end of the pa kage is removed, the band 14 in all cases being stifli enough to prevent unintentional tearing or". the covering beyond the one edge thereof and presenting a relatively stiff edge along which the more easily ruptured covering 12 may readily be torn as indicated for instance at 1.6. This removal of a portion of the covering 12 as described, exposesga portion of the upper ends of a number of cups in the stack. it being understood, however, that the band 14 is so located that, after the end portion of the covering 12 has been removed,

the rim 110i the terminal exposed cup 10 isstill within the edge of the band 1 1 along which said covering had been torn.

l The spherical or other enlargements 23 are designed to fit into the spaces between the flanges of adjacent cups and owing to the resiliency of the members 21 will yield as the stack 01' cups is inserted in position on the fixture and also when the last few cups are withdrawn from the package. In some cases the cups themselves will yield, ii the coges thereof are flexible, during a movement beyond said enlargements 23. The combined package and fixture so far described may be supported in proper position by simply resting the clamping member 17 upon a surface or as is preferred this member 17' may be sprung circumferentially about a container 26 such as for instance the usual bottle in which drinking water is generally distributed. In this case the member-'1'? is positionedon the container 26 preferaldy so as to be located beneath a projection 27 thereon which projection may simply comprise a series of raised letters which are usually found in containers of the above indicated type or which is formed by the customary slightly concaved shape of such bottles near the bottom thereof. hen thus combined with the container 26 the projection 27 will prevent displacement of the clamping member 17 in an axial direction during the withdrawal of a cup or cups from the package. In the combined condition of the parts the rod 17 projects upwardly above the container 26 preferably in substantial axial alinement with the axis thereof so that the package of cups is supported in a position of ready and convenient accessibility for use when the water is to be withdrawn from the container 26 for drinking or other purposes.

The simple clamping member 17 may be easily combined for instance with a water bottle which in an inverted condition is usually combined witha cooler and may be instantly removed from said bottle when the latter is empty and a new bottle is to be substituted. The fixture with the clamping device also supports the cups in a positionin which they are protected against jostling or other unintentional dislocation and against contamination.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5 the rod 17 corresponding to the rod 17 is simply bent transversely as indicated at 17 and connected or formed integral with a plate 28 provided with suitable apertures 29 for the accommodation of screws or the like whereby said plate 28 may be fastened to a wall or other supporting elementf This latter form of my fixture difi ers from the one first described also in that the members 21 which project from a head 18 and correspond to the members 21 all extend downwardly to approximately the same point and simply have the lower free ends bent outwardly and radially as indicated at 21 said free ends being also preferably provided with spherical or other enlargements 23. The package herein before referred to may be placed upon this fixture inthe same way as hereinbefore described, and in its final position has its lower edge resting upon and supported by the outwardly bent portions 21 as shown in Fig. 4. In the preferred construction the members 21 are further each provided with a transverse bend 21 at an intermediate point beneath which edge of the unturned 0r tucked portion of the wrapping 12 is adaptedto set when the package is combined therewith, as clearly illustrated in said Fig. 4. The said bends 21. in cooperation with the said inturned portion of the wrapping 12 thus hold the package against removal from the fixture during the withdrawal of a cup for use. This latter form of fixture thus also is adapted to support the package in a position of ready accessibility and to firmly hold the same while the cups are individually removed therefrom and at other times. It will be apparent that the head 18 with its members 21 may be connectedwith the rod 17 and clamping member 17 and. that the head 17 with its members 21 may be combined with the rod 17 and plate 28 if desired. In its various forms the supporting portions of the fixture are preferably constructed of resilient material and are adjustable to conform to any changes in form or dimensions which may occur in different jiackages.

11 y improved fixture provides a means whereby the cups either in the form of the packages described, or otherwise, may be eliiciently supported in an operative position and so as to be easily and readily acr (:essible and so as to prevent loss or misplacing of the package or cups. When supported by the fixtures the cups are further located out of the reach of any drippings from the faucet through which the water is withdrawn so that the cups are protected against injury from this cause and the fixtures themselves are protected against rust-,

Various changes in the specific form shown and described may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

I claim:

1. A drinking cup support comprising a supporting member, a plurality of arms parallel with and spaced from said member,

said arms being grouped in operative correlation and together constituting a device arranged to extend into and support a stack of cups and continuing members extending radially from said supporting member and connecting one end of said arms therewith.

2. A drinking cup support comprising a supporting member, a plurality of arms par allel with and spaced from said member, said arms being grouped in operative correlation and together constituting a device arranged to extend into and support a stack of cups, continuations extending from the one end of said arms to prVent axial move ment of said stack of cups in one direction relatively to said arms, and continuing members extending radially from said supporting member and connecting the other end of said arms therewith.

3. A fixture of the kind described comprising a rod, a head supported thereby, a plurality of members extending radially outward from said head, and depending arms forming continuations of said members and extending substantially parallel to said rod, said depending arms being continued at their lower ends to form supporting means. a

4. A fixture of the kind described comprising a rod, a head supported thereby, a plurality of members extending radially outward from said head, and depending arms -forming continuations of said members and extending substantially parallel to said rod, said depending arms being turned upwardly to form recesses.

5. A fixture of the kind described comprising a supporting rod, a head carried thereby, and a plurality of arms depending from said head and together constituting a "device arranged to extend into and support a stack of cups, one of said arms being continued upwardly to engage said stack of cups exteriorly to prevent any ma terial axial movement thereof relatively to said fixture.

6. The combination of a supporting means, a plurality of arms extending outwardly and downwardly from said means and bent at an intermediate point to form shoulders, a stack of cups having the one terminal cup adapted to be placed upon said arms in an inverted condition and a wrapper covering said stack and folded into said one terminal cup and extending be neath said shoulders whereby the Sta-5k of cups is held upon said arms against re-o moval.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

' CHARLES ERRETT. 

